New boss named for town racing charity

Newmarket’s Racing Welfare charity has appointed a new boss following the surprise resignation of former chief executive Lesley Graham earlier this year.

Dawn Goodfellow is relinquishing her stewardship of the Northern Racing College to take up the post. Ms Graham, a former Channel 4 racing presenter, quit in February after two years which were marked by the departure of several high-profile figures among staff at the Jockey Club-backed charity and the resignations of trustees Gen Sir Sam Cowan and owner-breeder Antonia Deuters.

The 52-year-old, who joined the South Yorkshire-based NRC in 2008 and became chief executive a year later, takes up her new job in Newmarket in mid-August. She is a former chief executive of the Countryside Foundation for Education and general manager of the Devonshire Educational Trust.

She said it would be “a wrench” to leave her job at the NRC but added: “This is an exciting appointment providing the opportunity to work with a fantastic charity and hopefully have a positive effect on the lives of many who work or have worked in racing.”

Charity chairman Joey Newton said Goodfellow had “a deep understanding of British Racing as an industry and the challenges faced by those who work in the sport.” He added: “Dawn is ideally equipped to lead Racing Welfare, but furthermore she impressed us greatly with her passion for the role and her skills as someone who sees the best in and gets the best out of people.”